General Statement of Policy
The College of William and Mary does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities.
Inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies should be addressed to:
Ms. Tammy Currie
Director of Equal Opportunity
Hornsby House
P.O. Box 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
(757) 221-2615
The College of William and Mary Diversity Statement
The College of William and Mary in Virginia is a community of teachers, students, and staff who share our national ideals of human equality, democracy, pluralism, and advancement based on merit. We give life to these principles - and prepare women and men to be citizens of the wider world - when we value diverse backgrounds, talents, and points of view.
As a community, William and Mary believes that cultural pluralism and intellectual freedom introduce us to new experiences, stimulate original ideas, enrich critical thinking, and give our work a broader reach. We cannot accomplish our mission of teaching, learning, discovery, and service without such diversity. William and Mary belongs to all Virginians, to the nation, and to the world. Yet our College, like our country, failed for many years to open the door of opportunity to all people. In recent decades, William and Mary has made itself a more diverse community, and thus a better one. Structures and habits that create injustices, however, have yet to be fully banished from American society. We are committed to establishing justice.
The College of William and Mary strives to be a place where people of all backgrounds feel at home, where diversity is actively embraced, and where each individual takes responsibility for upholding the dignity of all members of the community.
-Approved by the William and Mary Board of Visitors on November 17, 2006
General Statements of Policy
All students enrolled at William and Mary, including students of SMS, are bound by the regulations noted within the W&M Student Handbook. The College reserves the right to make changes in the procedures and regulations contained within the handbook at any time. The handbook contains important information about the College’s expectations regarding student conduct, student rights and responsibilities, and relevant processes and procedures to address alleged misconduct. The Honor Code and its procedures are also included in the handbook.
The W&M Student Handbook is available at: http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/studenthandbook/
Any SMS student seeking to raise a specific concern or discuss a problem regarding graduate studies in the School of Marine Science may contact the Associate Dean of Academic Studies at (804) 684-7105. General queries and questions about the SMS academic programs should be sent to AD-AS@vims.edu.
Honor Code
The Honor Code, first established at William and Mary in 1779, remains one of the College’s most cherished traditions. It assumes that principles of honorable conduct are familiar and dear to all students, and hence dishonorable acts will not be tolerated. Students found guilty of cheating, stealing or lying are subject to dismissal. The principles of the Honor Code and the method of administration are available on the W&M website:
http://www.wm.edu/offices/deanofstudents/services/studentconduct/honorcode/
Office of the Dean of Students (Williamsburg campus)
In addition to the SMS Office of Academic Studies, the Office of the Dean of Students on the Williamsburg campus offers services to all W&M students. Staff members provide learning assistance counseling and workshops for students who are interested in boosting their time management and study skills. Disability Services for permanent or temporary disabilities are coordinated within this office (see Disability Services section). In addition, members of the staff work with students who are experiencing unexpected or difficult circumstances that may result in a need for a medical leave or mid-semester withdrawal.
The Office of the Dean of Student is responsible for managing all violations of the Code of Student Conduct and for training and advising the graduate and undergraduate Honor Councils. Staff members are available to discuss the community’s standards, the systems by which they are enforced, or concerns related to the conduct of students or student groups.
Any member of the community may submit reports about student conduct to this office. The Office of the Dean of Students publishes the W&M Student Handbook, which includes statements of rights and responsibilities for all students. Information about other services available to students also is included.
Website: http://www.wm.edu/deanofstudents/
Counseling Center
The Counseling Center offers a range of brief psychological and counseling services for William and Mary students in order to address psychological issues, personal concerns, interpersonal issues, and crisis intervention. Staff members are available to discuss any important personal concerns a student may be facing and work with that student to provide resources to address those concerns.
The staff of the Counseling Center consists of both male and female mental health professionals, including psychologists, counselors, and social workers. A sport psychologist is available for students interested in learning how to enhance their athletic or academic performance. Psychiatric consultation is available through referral to the Student Health Center. All staff are trained and experienced in dealing with the problems of university students. Students are initially seen for an initial assessment. Follow up services are determined according to the needs of each individual student. Individual, couples, family, or group sessions offered at the counseling center are provided at no additional cost to the student. If appropriate, a student may be referred to other sources of help after an initial evaluation.
Counseling is confidential. Therapy is most effective when a student can be direct and honest with a counselor without fear that personal information will be divulged. Information about a student is not released without that student’s written permission, except in accordance with the laws and ethics governing our profession. Notations of counseling are not a part of a student’s College educational record.
Appointments may be made by calling the Counseling Center at 221-3620, or by coming to the office in person. Office hours are 8 a.m.-noon and 1:00 p.m.- 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Emergency services during the fall and spring semesters are also available after hours and on weekends by calling the Campus Police at 221-4596 and asking to speak with the Counseling Center ‘on-call’ counselor. Beginning in Fall 2011 a Counseling Center staff member will be available on the VIMS/SMS campus on a regular basis.
Website: http://www.wm.edu/counselingcenter/
Cohen Career Center
The Cohen Career Center, centrally located on the William & Mary campus between Sadler Center and Zable Stadium, offers individual career advising and assessment for VIMS/SMS students as well as support in the job search. The Assistant Director serves as the liaison to the sciences across the College, as well as to VIMS/SMS students. The Assistant Director is available to present workshops and seminars at VIMS/SMS and to provide individual career advising both on the Williamsburg and Gloucester Point campuses.
Website: http://www.wm.edu/offices/career/
Disability Services
Disability Services strives to create a comprehensively accessible living and learning environment to ensure that students with disabilities are viewed on the basis of ability by considering reasonable accommodation on an individual and flexible basis. The decision to request accommodation is voluntary and a matter of individual choice. Students seeking accommodation are strongly encouraged to notify the College and submit all supporting documentation early to allow adequate time for planning.
Documentation of Disability: In general, documentation should not be older than three years from the date of the first accommodation request and is expected to demonstrate the impact of disability upon major life activities and to support all recommended accommodations. As appropriate to the disability, the College expects documentation to meet specified guidelines.
Documentation of disability need not precede arrival on the VIMS campus, but must be filed with Disability Services before reasonable accommodation will be considered. Please refer to the Disability Services web site for more information concerning these specific documentation guidelines. Documentation of disability is confidential will not be released without the student’s written consent. In order to provide an accessible educational environment and to meet the individual learning needs of students, we invite self-declaration of disabilities to the Assistant Dean of Students for Disability Services, Campus Center 109, College of William and Mary, P.O. Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795, (757) 221-2510, (757) 221-2538 (Fax).
Website: http://www.wm.edu/deanofstudents/disable/
Student Health Center
The Student Health Center provides high-quality, primary medical care for full time students that become ill or experience minor emergencies while away from home. There is a co-pay for office visits, as well as a fee for certain services, labs, pharmacy and medical supplies. A list of fees can be found on the website: www.wm.edu/health. All matters between a student and the Health Center staff are confidential except in the case of life threatening situations, medical emergencies, severe emotional or psychological distress, or when required and/or permitted by law.
Virginia state law requires all full-time students who are enrolling for the first time in a four-year public institution to provide a health history and an official immunization record. The College of William and Mary further requires ALL full-time students (including previously matriculated students) as well as any other student eligible for services as determined by their department (i.e., Language House tutors, PTUG/ Flex Track students with full time hours, students with an approved under-load, transfer students, or Psy. D. students) to provide documentation of meeting the same immunization requirements AND a physician documented medical history performed within the twelve months preceding his/her initial enrollment. This form will not be accepted if the physician completing and signing the form is a family member. Previously enrolled students who are reentering as full-time students after an absence of less than 3 years must update their immunizations to meet current requirements. Additionally, enrolled students who are reentering as full-time students after an absence from campus of greater than 3 years must submit a new history, physical, tuberculosis screening and must update immunizations to meet the current requirements. If the absence is greater than 10 years, then the entire form needs to be resubmitted. This information MUST be submitted on William and Mary’s Health Evaluation Form, which is available on the website:
http://www.wm.edu/health/forms
Failure to comply with this requirement will result in the following actions: prevention from registering for classes; ineligibility for non-urgent medical care at the Student Health Center; may result in eviction from residence halls and/or removal from campus (depending on medical issue); and also will include referral for judicial action of the Student Code of Conduct.
Medical services are provided for all full time students and those graduate students certified by the Dean of their school to be doing the “equivalent of full time work.” In order to be eligible for medical care, graduate and undergraduate students must have paid a Health Fee for the current semester and met the Health Evaluation Form requirements including a physician documented medical history and submission of an official immunization record. Students choosing to seek care at an off-campus site are responsible for charges incurred. Likewise, if a Health Center physician deems it necessary to refer a student to an off-campus specialist, this also becomes the student’s financial responsibility.
Students experiencing severe emotional or psychological distress, making a threat or a gesture of suicide, or attempting suicide, will be evaluated by the College’s medical/emotional emergency response team and appropriate measures instituted. Anyone having knowledge of such circumstances should immediately contact the Dean of Students at (757) 221-2510, or the Student Health Center at (757) 221-4386.
The Student Health Center is located on Gooch Drive, South of Zable Stadium (Cary Field). Hours of operation during the summer are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 7:45 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. and Wednesday from 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. Hours of operation when classes are in session are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; Wednesday from 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. and Saturday hours are 9-1 with limited services available.
Website: http://www.wm.edu/health |
